TeachersFirst: Resources for Shakespeare

bard TeachersFirst Shakespeare Resources:

The amount of material available on Shakespeare is endless. These original and reviewed resources are an attempt to collect information on the works most commonly encountered in a K-12 curriculum using materials geared to high school and introductory college level students. In addition, we have included links to related sources dealing with the English monarchy and life and customs in Elizabethan England.

TeachersFirst's original Shakespeare lessons and activities appear at the top of this list.

If you wish to narrow this list of Shakespeare resources for a specific topic and grade level, try entering your topic and shakespeare as search terms in the TeachersFirst keyword search, setting the grade level you seek, as well.

154 record(s) found - search again

* TeachersFirst: The Hamlet Quizzes Grade 9 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 3001

This is a collection of interactive quizzes on Shakespeare's Hamlet. Designed for use as a review tool, the collection includes character quizzes and scene-by-scene reviews of key elements of Shakespeare's most famous tragedy. The collection can be used in class or independently.

* TeachersFirst: Shakespeare's Plays Grade 7 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 2999

Here's our own collection of resources for teaching the Bard's plays. In addition to the standard lesson and text listings, you'll find interactive quizzes, sites on Elizabethan England, even a Shakesperian feast. If you're working with Shakespeare's plays, start here.

Shakespearean Feast Grade 9 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 64

Eat your way to a new understanding of Shakespeare with this activity which lets students learn about Elizabethan customs by sampling the food the Elizabethans ate. The site provides lots of recipe ideas, as well as presentation strategies.

In the Classroom:
Use the recipes on this site to host a Shakespearean feast in your own classroom. Have students partner up to prepare the dishes at home, or coordinate with your family and consumer sciences faculty to try an in-class demonstration.

Ides of March Resources Grade K to 12 - TeachersFirst- 10457

This collection of reviewed resources from TeachersFirst is selected to help teachers and students honor the Ides of March by learning about Julius Caesar and to plan related projects and classroom activities. Whether you spend one class or an entire unit on Caesar or Shakespeare’s play, the ideas included within the "In the Classroom" portion of reviews will launch discussions and meaningful projects for student-centered learning.

In the Classroom:
Use the resources in this collection to add to your classroom during a lesson on the Ides of March. The resources listed can be used for webquests, learning centers, lesson plans and the like! History and Language Arts teachers will appreciate this one.

Perfect Mate - Romeo and Juliet Grade 9 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 184

Here's a lesson unit that lets students design a perfect mate, then compare it with their parent's concepts. Sounds strange, but this teacher-tested lesson has proven immensely popular with teachers, parents, and students alike. This lesson plan, one of TeachersFirst's long-popular resources, was one the winners in a lesson plan contest sponsored by TeachersFirst in 2002. TeachersFirst editors have added technology options where appropriate.

In the Classroom:
The survey handout included in this lesson makes it a perfect starter for the study of Romeo and Juliet. As you read the play, you could extend the idea by having students complete the same survey as Montague or Capulet parents!

Christopher Marlowe and Dr. Faustus Grade 9 to 12 - TeachersFirst- 174

TeachersFirst introduces Christopher Marlowe and Dr. Faustus in this unit on the Elizabethan playwright's work about the struggle between good and evil. Includes printable handouts, a Marlowe biography, illustrations, and more.

In the Classroom:
Try this one in conjunction with a Shakespeare study. (Some scholars argue Marlowe wrote the plays.) In addition, the themes in Faustus resonate particularly with teens making the story extra attractive.

Penguin Classics Teachers' Guides Grade 8 to 12 - Penguin Books Ltd.- 8341

From the UK, this site offers valuable teacher resources and ideas for teaching some classic literature. Penguin and Signet Classics Teaching Guides comprise a variety of activities and discussion questions to stimulate your students' reactions and responses to the classic literature they are studying. Some of the approaches offered are different than past book company offers, so this is really worth a look. All of the guides feature before-during-after reading ideas and vocabulary lists that mesh well with current research on effective reading strategies. The list of books/lessons available includes: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Persuasion by Jane Austen
A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Odyssey by Homer
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
King Lear by William Shakespeare
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Othello by William Shakespeare
Richard III by William Shakespeare
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

In the Classroom:
As you prepare to teach one of these classics, don't miss this helpful resource, even if you use a different publisher's edition of the works! If you have highly-able students preparing on their own for the AP tests, these guides could help a motivated student recap works they read in the past or guide themselves through independent reading of the works.

Shakespeare's Life and Times Grade 9 to 12 - Internet Shakespeare Editions- 5518

You'll find nearly everything you need to know about Shakespeare, his life, works, and the society in which he lived within the "pages" of this virtual library of ten "books." Features include analyses of more than a dozen plays, a discussion of political issues and worldviews that influenced Shakespeare's writing, and a summary of the theatrical traditions that Shakespeare inherited. This is a great resource for you and your students to use as Shakespeare is introduced in your classroom.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as a study guide or review site for students during a unit on one of the writer's many plays. Save this site as a favorite on your class wiki or webpage to allow students to access it in and out of the classroom. This would also be a great resource for students working on research projects or papers!

In Your Ear Shakespeare Grade 9 to 12 - In Your Ear Shakespeare- 9927

With today's students plugged into their MP3 players, this site offers a great way to attract students. It has posted podcasts (visit the “Chop Bard” link) that explain Shakespeare in a way that students will find appealing and more realistic than reading it alone or aloud in class. Several of the podcasts are geared specifically to Romeo and Juliet, a play often read in 9th grade which makes it familiar and an easy listen for students. The site includes a list of the chronology of plays as well as a timeline of Shakespeare's life. A section of the page also has "Interactive Shakespeare" which is really just a funny little Shakespeare picture. Clicking on it gives students a simple explanation of iambic pentameter and a measured beat of how it works.

A caution that there is language slightly bawdy in the podcasts, so preview them first. However, listening to the "Chop Bard" either as a class or as individual students, gives students a lift and a laugh, creating a link with Shakespeare that they have never experienced. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

The site loads slowly at certain high-traffic times. Be patient.

In the Classroom:
Share the podcasts at this site with your students on an interactive whiteboard or projector. You may want to make this site a class project, to ensure the podcasts are all appropriate for your students. After listening to the podcasts, have students write a blog entry from the perspective of Romeo, Juliet, or another character from the literature. Or ask students to create an image to illustrate a scene and then narrate it using Voicethread (reviewed here) or Podomatic (reviewed here).

The Shakespeare Mystery Grade 9 to 12 - WBGH Educational Foundation- 9103

Since almost every high school reads Shakespeare, the look at the man himself and the controversies surrounding him make fascinating study for students and pull them into the Elizabethan world (generally making study of the plays more interesting!). Originally aired in April 1989 (and no longer available for purchase), this site offers the text and links to the fascinating debate of whether Shakespeare was the man from Stratford or really an intimate of Elizabeth I, the Earl of Oxford. It is divided into three sections: The Debate Continues, Updates, and Shakespeare on the Web. In a related report, the site looks at Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe as contemporaries, rivals, or being the same man.

In the Classroom:
This site offers a wide variety of activities from mock trials to timelines to actual discussions of the topic. Having students assume the roles of different participants either as those debating the issue or as Shakespeare himself, Marlowe, the Earl of Oxford, and Elizabeth I enhances research, writing, persuasive, and acting skills.

60 second Shakespeare Grade 9 to 12 - BBC- 9061

This is a fabulous site for the Shakespeare teacher or simply the Shakespeare fan. It includes all of Willie's most famous plays done up in student-friendly and attractive, attention-getting form. The challenge is for students to develop their own '60-second' bit of Shakespeare. The site includes examples of different formats and offers everything from teacher lesson plans to "master classes" in teaching students how to do things such as audios, films, and photo slideshows as well as the more common newspaper articles and acting classes. The site also allows viewers to “vote” on their favorite renditions. This website requires Windows Media Player or Real Player. You can get either from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Since you can even submit your 60-second Shakespeare piece to the site for posting, this can be a real challenge to classes in competition. Have each class design its own 60-second program. They can use the ones already posted for inspiration. If you choose, you can use plans already posted by Paul Sibson, an IT teaching instructor, or you can pick and choose which ones you want students to attempt (or make better!). Make sure you have written parent permission before submitting student work and are within school policies. If policies prohibit posting on the BBC site, create a private wiki of your own within your school.

Shakespeare for Kids Grade 6 to 12 - Folger Library- 4964

Kids of all ages can enjoy delving into the life of Queen Elizabeth and the works of William Shakespeare. Explore full texts of plays in PDF format, word games and puzzles, historical lessons (some are interactive), and fun facts about Shakespeare and his theater. A word of caution: many of the activities on this site require prior knowledge of Shakespearean plays and characters. Choose wisely based on the level and language skills of your students, and the depth of your study of Shakespeare. Use to introduce the Elizabethan era, review important concepts, or extend a literature unit with a bit of history. Created by the Folger Shakespeare Library. Requires Adobe Acrobat.

In the Classroom:
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard before allowing students to use it individually or with a partner. Have students review the site during a unit on courtship, courtly love and of course - Queen Elizabeth. Have students explore the site and create a quick presentation of what they learned. Students can create brief online posters using a tool such as Wallwisher, (reviewed here).

The Shakespeare Web Grade 9 to 12 - - 3015

Though it is no longer actively maintained, this site includes some entertaining ways to hook students on Shakespeare, such as Today in Shakespeare History, a daily calendar with a page of quotes from Shakespeare for every day of the year. On March 15, read the famous lines from Julius Caesar! Use the magnetic poetry page to find new ways to put Elizabethan English words into original poems on your computer screen.

In the Classroom:
Save this site as a favorite and use it as a learning center or station - in particular, the Poetry Machine during a unit on writing poetry. A very creative and fun way to help students get their creative juices flowing. A great resource for a Language Arts and Literature classroom.

Taking a Spin on Shakespeare Grade 7 to 10 - Ashton, Caroline, Gracie, Samantha- 9742

This student-generated website won a Thinkquest competition in 2006. It is rather delightful since it is presented from a student point of view. It offers perspectives on Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, and includes summaries, a biography, costumes, Shakespeare's influence on his time, and a cute take on Hamlet called “To Make a Hamlet, You Have to Break a Few Legs.” There is also a quiz related to Shakespeare and his writings.

In the Classroom:
This site can be both fun and inspirational for students to get them involved in Shakespeare's plays. While this site is specific to two of the Bard's works, it is adaptable to any of the plays that you study. Having students create their own websites or projects using this as a model might be a great idea. Why not have students write a blog entry FROM Shakespeare or one of his characters?

Shakespeare and the Classics at pppst.com Grade 8 to 12 - Phillip Martin & Don Donn- 8098

This site is a bonanza for the teacher who teaches Shakespeare! One of the best features is a collection of teacher-made, free powerpoints: some you can use with your classes, some with parents. These come from teachres in schools all over. The site also includes links to specific lessons or units already posted on the web for many of Shakespeare's plays, his life, or the Globe theatre. You must have Microsoft PowerPoint software to use thes portions of the site.

In the Classroom:
This is a great way to start many units, especially with students who have had a taste of Elizabethan theatre before. There are powerpoints that can adapted for review of dramatic terms or Shakespeare's life. You could show many of these PowerPoints on a projector or interactive whiteboard, checking student recall/prior knowledge of terms before showing the answers. You can also download and combine several of the shows into one, such as several of the Romeo & Juliet selections. The lesson plans are useable, but be aware of Fair Use rights regarding sharing copies on your own website. (Fair Use for instructional purposes does NOT include distributing unlimited, unrestricted copies on the web!). It is better to LINk to them.

Shakespeare's Staging Grade 11 to 12 - Regents University of California- 9590

This great site gives serious Shakespeare students something to dig their teeth into. Of particular interest is a full-length, documentary video titled "Shakespeare and the Spanish Connection." The documentary links Spanish and Elizabethan theatres in style of performance, architecture, and background. From the homepage, you can look at galleries (basically online picture albums) of Shakespearean productions from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Clicking on the "Videos" tab will enable you watch short excerpts of plays performed in various venues including open air theatres. Due to the academic nature of the presentations, this is probably best used with upperclassmen or gifted students who have some familiarity with the Elizabethan Renaissance and Shakespeare. The videos require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
The ideas presented on this site offer imaginative teachers great scope. Using the short videos and/or the albums as jumping off points, students can create their own videos of their own productions. Share the videos on YouTube or another tool such as SchoolTube (reviewed here).

One of the central topics can be the ease or difficulty in staging some of the scenes. Since there are several of the videos where actors describe the experiences playing certain characters as well as short documentaries showing authentic Elizabethan music, dance, etc., students can incorporate their own ideas in making their own scenes more genuine.

A Way with Words or Say What? Grade 5 to 8 - Mary Beth Bauernschub- 7335

Shakespeare invented over 2,000 words and expressive phrases. In this lesson, students use drawing and pantomime to identify and analyze some of Shakespeare's phrases. They then write a story using the newly-identified words, lines, and phrases. There are 2 45-minute lesson plans that enable students to:
--identify words invented by William Shakespeare.
--interpret the meaning of words through drawing.
--identify words by interpreting drawings.
--analyze the meaning of a line or phrase.
--pantomime to communicate the meaning of a line or phrase.
--interpret pantomime to identify a line or phrase.
--write a short story using Shakespeare invented words, lines, and phrases.

In the Classroom:
Intersperse these ideas as you read a play, giving your students a chance to exercise multiple intelligences.

Shakespeare for Kids Grade 6 to 9 - Folger Shakespeare Library- 6527

Make the Bard more approachable for younger students with this clever, interactive resource. Learn some Shakespearean insults and vocabulary, meet Queen Elizabeth, download some scripts to try out a few scenes, or play a "Name that Character" game. Some knowledge of Shakespeare's works is necessary to reap the benefits of some of the site's features, but there are printable coloring pages, activities, and kid-friendly text appropriate for younger students who have not yet been exposed to Elizabethan theater.

In the Classroom:
Access the section entitled "games, coloring and puzzles," and save it as a favorite on classroom computers for use as a learning center or station. Have students complete some of the puzzles or crosswords as a way to review a unit on the Playwright.

In Search of Shakespeare Grade 6 to 12 - PBS - Folger Library- 4897

In Search of Shakespeare is a 4 part video series shown on PBS. Though the series is quite good, you are likely to "lose" lower level students with it. If you own it, in conjunction with this site, you can’t miss. But you don’t have to use the video series to use the site effectively. The site contains a multitude of sources, lesson plans, supplementary materials—almost anything you want to teach in a basic through high academic course on Shakespeare is here. The site is divided into 4 parts: the investigation, for educators, the playwright game, and the show. Clicking on any of those links takes you to a specific site within PBS that digs deeply into the Bard’s life, Elizabethan times in both Stratford and London, Folger Library lesson plans, creative writing assignments for students, plus actual summaries and guides for the series itself if you should choose to use it.

In the Classroom:
Decide what you want your students to know and where you want to begin. Involving them in 16th century politics is fun, especially if you assign them roles to play such as Elizabeth, her sister Mary, the Spanish consul, etc. There are infinite ways to make these times come alive by talking about bear-baiting, cock-fighting, and theatre—the main sources of entertainment among the common people. You might assign different pieces of the site to different students or groups of students and have them report back to the class on what they discovered, using the website itself as a teaching tool. The possibilities of using this site are almost endless.Requires Real Player for video portions

Absolute Shakespeare Grade 9 to 12 - - 5875

This online reference contains nearly everything a student of Shakespeare needs, including a complete library of works, summaries of the plays, a collection of quotes organized by work, and a useful glossary of words used by the Bard. Also includes information about the controversial authorship debate, a Shakespearean timeline, and biographical information.

Shakespeare Illustrated Grade 9 to 12 - - 2885

From Emory University comes this pairing of etchings and other illustrations - mostly nineteenth century vintage - with Shakespeare's works. Interesting for their differences in interpretation.

Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet Grade 9 to 12 - - 2882

An overall Shakespeare reference site, including links to festivals and performances. The site also includes a number of the sources listed on this page.

Shakespeare Grade 6 to 12 - Myvocabulary.com- 9884

This site may appear simple, but offers some great ideas to enhance Shakespeare and character education lessons. There are 8 interactive word puzzles, a word bank of 21 words, an alphalary of terms for character/leadership, information about what makes someone a good character (or not), and more.

In the Classroom:
Have students work in cooperative learning groups, divide up the vocabulary words, and have each group responsible to find the definitions for their assigned vocabulary words. Have the groups share their words and definitions in an online book, using a tool such as Bookemon (reviewed here). Have the groups share the online books on your interactive whiteboard or projector and embed them in a class wiki. And of course, don't miss the interactive word puzzles! This is a great addition to a unit on Shakespeare or even character education.

16th Century Renaissance English Literature Grade 9 to 12 - Anion Jokinen- 8718

While there are countless sites on Shakespeare, this one offers the OTHER authors from the greatest period of English literature. This site doesn't even bother with Shakespeare, sending the reader to a different source for that information. The site divides the plays into Tudor, Elizabethan, and Jacobean periods. This is an impressive array that focuses on the history of the Tudors as background for Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd, Hooker, Spenser, and dozens more. There is a new section on Renaissance drama and another on religious writers, who were very influential at this time. The variety offered here, particularly for those who think the only writer of this time was Shakespeare, is amazing. The small Google ads are unobtrusive.

In the Classroom:
This is a great site for research and sharing with students. It gives them a taste beyond what they think they know about the English Renaissance. Most of the author-specific pages have links to discussion forums for that author, and students can quickly find other aficionados for obscure writers of this period. Share an author a day as you read Shakespeare, then ask students to research a favorite and create a digital museum piece about him/her on a wiki or write a blog entry as if from their person's journal.

Exploring the Expository Scenes in Macbeth Grade 9 to 12 - Jim Carpenter, Ph. D.- 7741

Sometimes students miss what is being said as exposition in Shakespeare and are consequently confused for the rest of the play. This lesson gives them the opportunity to explore what is being said in a way they can apply to other scenes as well.

Getting students on their feet to perform Shakespeare is much easier with some preparation. These 3 45-minute lessons using Macbeth help them do just that. Guided practice in small groups helps the students feel a little less awkward and more confident as well as more aware of what they are actually saying while reading Shakespeare.

In the Classroom:
After trying these lesson ideas, you may be tempted to apply some of the techniques with other readings, as well.

The Rest is Silence Grade 9 to 12 - Jim Carpenter, Ph. D.- 7740

Wondering how to get students to listen for those setting clues in Shakespeare? Here's a lesson that helps them pinpoint the dialogue clues that Shakespeare used in place of stage directions.

In the Classroom:
For those teaching Hamlet or any other Shakespeare tragedy, this is a great lesson to help them see what they need for stage direction. The pdf. handouts linked here are great. The lesson allows students to work in groups, then perform their interpretation, once again involving them in the script to teach the lesson. Includes 3 45-minute lessons.

A Way to Teach Grade 8 to 12 - Joseph Scotese- 7092

See and participate in an outstanding example of an online community with a specific and rigorous mission: active involvement with text-based study of literature as "a way to teach" (and learn). This site, created by a teacher at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in the Chicago area, invites you and your students to share in a community where technology supports literature study, making it irresistible. You must join (free) and log in to access materials, but the effort is well worth your time. The environment is both safe and rigorous, setting an expectation of excellence for all who join. If you do not participate and use your membership, it will not remain active. You earn "points" for participation!

A Way to Teach includes lesson plans and active teaching ideas from Shakespeare to Hemingway to journalism. Find inspiration in the Illuminated Texts created by students using PowerPoint or Flash. See student work (or teacher examples) that go beyond the ordinary discussion of literature to total immersion in a textual/visual experience and inspire your students to articulate their interpretations at a level to bring tears to a literature-lover's eyes! In the words of the creator himself on his original version of this site: "The mission of A Way to Teach is to spread and propagate the text-based teaching of literature. I hope that it can be of some use to you as the ideas and lessons that I have been given over the years have enriched and shaped my own teaching."

Be sure to explore the forums and supportive how-tos to get started with illuminated text projects. Clicking on any of the areas you teach provides you with ideas for different ways to approach any text-based lesson. Mr. Scotese is very creative, and he shares his creativity quite generously. If you teach other literature, the ideas are adaptable for use with any text.

While the site itself needs no special plug-ins, some of the ideas require Powerpoint, Adobe Acrobat, or Flash software. You can get these from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
Start your school year or any literature unit by sharing a student-created, illuminated text on your interactive whiteboard or a projector. If you study Shakespeare's sonnets, be sure to share a Flash version of one you will not be studying so students can SEE the richness of Shakespeare's words before they take on a sonnet of their own. Try this example . Obtain parent permission (and the OK under your school policies) for your students to join and comment to each other and to others lucky enough to participate in this community. Start a group for YOUR class on this safe site and see English class become the talk of your school.

Shakespeare's Monologues Grade 8 to 12 - Steven Shults (ed.)- 7672

Looking for a monologue for memorization for class assignment, audition, or to impress your friends? You can find it here. Steven Shults has chosen many monologues from Shakespeare and divided them into male and female categories. You can even click at the bottom to have them translated into different languages for your foreign language learners!

In the Classroom:
The choice of plays and monologues included is quite good. The monologues range from short to much longer and can be used for a variety of purposes.

KS3 Bitesize Grade 5 to 9 - BBC- 10316

Pick your subject for Keystage 3, roughly equivalent to grades 6-8 in the U.S. (English, Math, or Science anyone?) Find interactive activities and lessons in a variety of topics in each subject area. At the end of each lesson is a review that recaps the main points. In the English section you will find Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Shakespeare. The Math section features Numbers (basic arithmetic), Algebra, Handling Data, Measurement, Shapes, and Space. Science includes Organisms, Behavior, Health, Chemical and Material Behavior, Energy, Electricity, Force, The Universe, Environment, and Earth. Within each area there are interactives, tests, and review (referred to as revise at this site, created in the UK). There are also specific activities within each of the categories, educational "games," and message boards. Use of the message boards requires registration but it is not required to use the other materials.

In the Classroom:
From Life Processes to Solids, Liquids, and Gases in Science, Orders of Operation to Probability in Math, and Writing Structure to Shakespeare in English, find a topic for any material you are covering. Share the interactive (or other sections) on your projector or interactive whiteboard). Provide this link on your class website for students to use to practice both in and out of the classroom. After viewing a topic, brainstorm the main points together as a class and use the information on additional problems or interactives within the classroom.

Shakespearean Vernacular Grade 8 to 12 - Thinkquest- 9387

This is another great Thinkquest site that is simple, yet fun. Students stumble at times over Shakespearean language and to make it a little more accessible, Thinkquest has developed an easy page that offers a chart of Shakespeare's speech compared to contemporary speech along with an "easy" and a "hard" quiz.

Thinkquest sites are created as part of an international web competition, by teams of students at various levels or teacher education candidates. This site dates back to 2000.

In the Classroom:
This is a great site for kids to use as a supplement to a lesson on Shakespeare and his language. Students can do this independently or with a partner and create entire conversations to have classmates "translate" into contemporary language or into Shakespearean language.

Renaissance: The Elizabethan World Grade 4 to 12 - Maggi Ros- 8233

This site has links to everything you ever wanted to know about the Elizabeth world from a Compendium of Life in Elizabethan England to Heraldry to the transcripts of the trials of the Earls of Essex and Southampton. It also includes a link to a list of more than a hundred recommended sites for the Renaissance and Elizabethan times.Teachers of everything from world history to Shakespeare will find something to mine at this site. The Compendium of Elizabethan Life is especially interesting to those students who want to know "how things worked" 500 years ago in the time of Will Shakespeare. While this is a great research sourcefor Shakespeare, it is also good for drama, literature, and history for all sorts of activities.

In the Classroom:
Share this resource on your teacher web page for students to choose different research topics related to Elizabethan or Renaissance times. As you teach Shakespeare, bring up a daily "factoid," text snippet, or image on a projector to take students back in time before you start class.

A Question of Style Grade 9 to 12 - Jim Carpenter, Ph. D.- 7738

Shakespeare's comedy sometimes escapes students because they can't get past the language. Using As You Like It as a starting point, students can look at different styles of writing, acting, and directing, thus involving them beyond the written word. Looking at traditional theatre styles also gives them a place to begin and teaches them something beyond sitcoms.

In the Classroom:
This can be done in 3 45-minute lessons or adapted for use with another Shakespeare play. The theory behind it is solid, and the site includes handouts that you can use or adapt to your needs. You will also find several study rehearsal guides and an assessment rubric.

A Character Lifebox Grade 8 to 12 - Mary Beth Bauernschub- 7015

Ths lesson plan has students work in pairs to create a "life box" of a character in the play, The Shakespeare Stealer, based on the book of the same name. They collect five props, a costume piece, or clues about the character and write a poem about the character. Other students must interpret the clues and determine which character is represented by the life box.

In the Classroom:
This is done in two 45-minute classes. It contains an introductory activity, guided and independent practice activities, closure and assessment ideas as well as providing sources. An excellent place to get students started with Shakespeare.

Romeo & Juliet - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 3571

Full text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

Macbeth - Study Questions Grade 9 to 12 - - 3565

Study Questions - from the Shakespeare Classroom.

Macbeth Plugged:an annotated, on-line version of the Shakespearean tragedy Grade 9 to 12 - Thinkquest entry- 3564

Here's a nice on-line text with "clickable" comments and glossary to help readers undertsand the Bard's Elizabethan style more clearly. The design is simple, yet powerful for those who may be encountering Shakespeare for the first time.

Macbeth - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 3563

Full text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

Hamlet Study Questions Grade 9 to 12 - - 3550

from the Shakespeare Classroom.

Hamlet - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 3546

Full text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

Shakespeare: Subject to Change Grade 9 to 12 - Cable in the Classroom- 4461

Here’s a great look at Shakespeare’s words and the ways in which the subsequent editing and re-staging of his plays may have altered the Bard’s original ideas. The site requires a high-speed connection, but those who have one will be rewarded with lots of animation, sound, and an engaging treatment of the content.

In the Classroom:
Try this one on a class of students who think there’s only one way to see Shakespeare.

Shakespeare in Costume Grade 9 to 12 - - 4189

While we don’t generally list sites offering material for sale, this site, which offers Shakespearean character “costumes” – really just head and neck pieces – might be the perfect resource for English and drama teachers who want to add a little texture to their play-reading sessions.

Elizabethan speech & accent Grade 9 to 12 - - 2962

A guide for performers, but it provides some interesting detail on how Shakespeare's words may have sounded in his time.

Twelfth Night - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2957

Full text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

The Tempest - Study questions Grade 9 to 12 - - 2919

from the Shakespeare Classroom.

King Lear - Study questions Grade 9 to 12 - - 2893

from the Shakespeare Classroom.

Shakespeare Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2884

The complete works - from the e-text collection at M.I.T.

The Works of Shakespeare Grade 9 to 12 - - 2883

A full-text collection from the University of Sydney, Australia.

The Shakespeare Classroom Grade 9 to 12 - Washington State University- 2881

Background information, study guides, and related resources.

Mapping Shakespeare Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2879

A Folger Library lesson that works for any of the plays.

Shakespeare Wall Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2878

A lesson that lets students take apart (literally) each scene of a play.

Bill's Allusive Nature Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2877

A general lesson on allusion in Shakespeare's plays.

Shakespeare's Macbeth: Evolution of a Leader Grade 9 to 12 - Katie Buskirk- 9926

While the introduction is missing on this webquest, all the other parts are there and it is enough for students to create the PowerPoint project. There is a simple task, with web sources given, and students have a wide range of persons to choose from. Web sources provided are neither extensive or imaginative. You will want to allow students to add others or provide other web sites yourself. Students working in pairs or small groups will decide what does or does not make an effective leader and will support their choices for defense against the class. Some of the links require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
One of the interesting things about this site is that you can do this task with real OR fictional leaders. It might be a good way to compare unlike leaders such as Macbeth vs. Mustapha Mond (Brave New World) or Julius Caesar vs. Barack Obama. Opening the door to real vs. fictional characters allows students to weigh qualities off the page as well as on. While doing comparisons, have students write a fictitious wiki between the two leaders they compared.

Literary Webquest: Shakespeare's Othello Grade 10 to 12 - Russ McDonald- 9587

This webquest grabs student interest by examining the character of Othello as a man set apart from his peers by his race. The task, process, resources, and evaluation are all clear and provide ample fodder for interesting class discussions on homeland security, racial profiling, and societal pressure. The quest casts the student in the role of a CIA agent, a proposition most students would find attractive!

Note: the first link relating to how to write a report is not working and neither is the Horizon Magazine, but all of the other article links and MLA source links are fine.

In the Classroom:
This is a great activity to meld literature and social studies or humanities-based curriculum. Students can choose different areas to search for information and this can be tailored to the students in a given class. Using the information found will spark new interpretation as students then read the play Othello. As a writing activity, have students write a blog post as one of the investigators, reflecting on what he/she has learned!

highschooldrama.com Grade 9 to 12 - Natalie Hendrickson- 9099

Created by a drama teacher in California, this drama site has several interesting aspects and promises more in the future. There is a link to organizations, affiliations, guilds, and unions as well as books that are helpful from Amazon. The best part of the site is the section Drama Notes and Exercises . Based on Robert Cohen's book Acting One , with additions by the site author. This offers a variety of exercises appropriate to the high school setting and classroom, tested out by teachers. There are some simple advertisements at this website.

In the Classroom:
Pull interesting ideas from the Drama Notes as either class enrichment or for inclusion in lessons involving drama, such as Shakespeare and other plays. Students love to "act it out," and if they have a little knowledge on how to do that well, they will enjoy it more and remember it better.

Language Arts Presentations Grade K to 12 - Jefferson County Schools- 8130

Wow - this website provides ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations on over 100 topics. The presentations were created by teachers - for teachers to use in their classrooms. This website organizes topics by general grade levels (K-5 and 6-12). Just to give you a taste of the uniqueness of these presentations, topics include such diverse topics as Shakespeare, "grammar goofs," active reading strategies, haunted house graphic organizer, phonics millionaire game, pronouns, and numerous others. Any language arts teacher is guaranteed to find something useful at this website. Do yourself a favor and check it out! You may need PowerPoint software to be able to view these files, depending on how the site creators save them. Note: while files are downloading, it may appear that nothing is happening and that the links are dead. Look for a tiny "downloading" icon in the lower left corner of your screen, and please be patient!

In the Classroom:
Try these ready-to-go PowerPoint presentations on an interactive whiteboard or projector in your classroom. Some may also be well-suited for individual students to run on a single classroom computer for remediation or review. There are games, resources and a lot of information. The site includes a disclaimer asking to be notified if users find any copyrighted material. TeachersFirst recommends that you NOT download copies but instead use them online, just in case.

Elizabeth I Grade 5 to 8 - Class 8C- 7669

While this is a student-posted site, it contains good, simple information about the life and times of the Elizabethan era in England. It is a good source of info for the basics before studying Shakespeare.

In the Classroom:
While the info is good, not all the spelling IS. A good exercise for middle school kids is to have them proofread for spelling as they go through. It is also a good exercise in teaching how good content would be better with NO errors via proofreading. It is, however, too good a simple site to ignore.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Grade 9 to 11 - McDougall Littel, Incl- 7407

A simple Julius Caesar site that offers some discussion and activity suggestions for teaching Shakespeare's play of politics and honor (or lack thereof!).One of the nicest things about this site is the extension into the real world connections that will make this play come alive and be meaningful for students.

In the Classroom:
Use the real world connection ideas as related activities as you read the play, perhaps alternating days on the two.

Rhyme Zone Grade 4 to 12 - - 5269

This site is much more than an on-line rhyming dictionary. Use it as a thesaurus, spell checker, or on-line source for all of Shakespeare's works. Other features include interactive quizzes on a variety of topics (high-school level), thousands of searchable quotations and poems, and the complete texts of several famous documents.

English Renaissance Grade 9 to 12 - University of Pennsylvania Library- 5128

This high level resource would be an excellent addition to an honors English class. Major texts from the English Renaissance are provided in their original form, and outstanding multi-media tutorials provide serious students with in-depth background information on Shakespearean plays (King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, and the Merchant of Venice) and Renaissance book production (folios, quartos, and editing). The pace is fast! Use of the "pause" feature when viewing the tutorials is recommended to avoid whiplash. This is truly an outstanding tool for your best and brightest literature students.

In the Classroom:
Use the tutorials as a learning center or station where students can review 1 of the 4 Shakespeare plays. Save this site on your class wiki or web page to allow students to access it both in and out of the classroom.

Much Ado About Something Grade 9 to 12 - PBS Frontline- 4004

Here’s the teachers’ guide for the PBS Frontline presentation examining the famous question: were Shakespeare’s works actually written by Christopher Marlowe. The site offers program excerpts, background information, and facts pro and con. Use it as the basis for your own examination of the question, or in conjunction with TeachersFirst’s unit on Christopher Marlowe.

Elizabethan England Grade 9 to 12 - - 2961

A very well-done site about life and times in Elizabethan England. This site was a class project for senior English students in Springfield, IL. It includes essays, photos, and complete bibliographical information. Topics include daily life, fashion, food and entertainment, and - of course - Shakespeare.

The Tempest - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2917

Full text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

In the Classroom:
In a class where textbooks may be short this is an excellent site to insure everyone has access to "The Tempest." This would also be useful for a class reading of the play. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and click on the link that allows you to display the full play on one fluid page. From this point, assign students parts and let them read aloud. Just make sure to keep up with the scrolling as students read!

Taming of the Shrew - Full Text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2915

Full Text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

In the Classroom:
In a class where textbooks may be short this is an excellent site to insure everyone has access to "Taming of the Shrew." This would also be useful for a class reading of the play. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and click on the link that allows you to display the full play on one fluid page. From this point, assign students parts and let them read aloud. Just make sure to keep up with the scrolling as students read!

Much Ado... Full Text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2907

from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

In the Classroom:
In a class where textbooks may be short this is an excellent site to insure everyone has access to "Much Ado About Nothing." This would also be useful for a class reading of the play. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and click on the link that allows you to display the full play on one fluid page. From this point, assign students parts and let them read aloud. Just make sure to keep up with the scrolling as students read!

The Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare and Anti-Semitism Grade 9 to 12 - - 2897

Social Studies School Service (commercial site) - Grades 9-12 - (could fit with WWII and Holocaust, also) - Designed for students who have read the Merchant of Venice, this plan draws interdisciplinary connections with twentieth century social issues of prejudice and genocide. This lesson plan is a sample of those available from the book Teaching Social Studies with the Internet, available for sale from this web site. The lesson plan is fully useful on its own, no purchase required, and includes links to relevant Internet materials. Activities are designed for groups and utilize Internet research as an essential component for collecting information to be used in class discussions/presentations.

Julius Caesar - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2889

Full text - from M.I.T.'s Shakespeare archive.

In the Classroom:
In a class where textbooks may be short this is an excellent site to insure everyone has access to Julius Caesar. This would also be useful for a class reading of the play. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and click on the link that allows you to display the full play on one fluid page. From this point, assign students parts and let them read aloud. Just make sure to keep up with the scrolling as students read!

Buzzin: English Grade 2 to 8 - Mantex Information Design- 9024

Buzzin offers narrative instruction in major areas of English, including grammar, writing, reading, and speaking. Many of the sub areas have “Learn” and "tests". The “Learn” link provides information about the specific English topic (such as clauses, adverbs, or articles). The “Test” link provides several questions about the specific topic. The site is not highly interactive, except for the tests. Since it is a British site, it uses British spelling, and the speaking/pronunciation area is less helpful for American speakers. The site also contains test-taking tips, with suggestions about specific kinds of tests. There is even background information on Shakespeare.

In the Classroom:
Use this site for review of concepts and for students who might want to do some self-testing. This site would be highly useful if your class is learning about one of the many topics highlighted. Have a “Grammar Lesson of the Day” and project the “Learn” link on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students work in pairs as you project the “Test.” Or use the “Test” as pre-assessment before starting a new lesson.

English Renaissance Drama Grade 9 to 12 - Anniina Jokinen- 8874

Students know something about Shakespeare, but they tend to think he was the only playwright of his day. This site helps them realize that he was only one of many in the Elizabethan period and that there was a Tudor period before and a Jacobean period after him. This is an exhaustive, albeit entertaining, and authoritative look at English drama as it moved from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. The articles are written by professors and they all contain links with explanations for all the referenced allusions. While rather encyclopedic in nature, having all the resources in one place is extraordinarily handy for the teacher of this period.

In the Classroom:
Have students "become" one of the rival playwrights after researching the times and the playwright might be interesting. Perhaps students could do a panel discussion or write a blog entry as their “playwright.” Don't miss the Introduction section to get valuable information about the theaters and the staging conventions of the time.

Elizabethan Theatre: The Dawn of Modern Drama Grade 7 to 12 - William Eyerly- 8470

Constructed by a practicing teacher, this webquest is simple, but very good. It takes students through a series of searches that lets them think about the difference between society and theatre of that time. While Mr. Eyerly has constructed the quest in such a way as to take the place of or significantly augment a unit plan (covering 45 days) on Elizabethan drama, with the culminating project being a student film, many parts of this are adaptable to shorter periods and less ambitious outcomes.

In the Classroom:
There are many ways you can use this webquest to assist in teaching the beginning of modern drama, Elizabethan theatre, or Shakespeare. He goes through the quest process of introduction, task, process, and evaluation, but he also includes a teacher page with tips and ideas that is useful to the classroom teacher. If you have never done a complete webquest, why not consider trying ONE per year to see the benefits of a project-based approach, especially if someone else has already created the project for you. A grading rubric is includede in the Student Pages.

ARTSEDGE: Discovering Romeo and Juliet Grade 9 to 12 - The Kennedy Center- 7801

An attractive site from the Kennedy Center that includes information on Shakespeare's England, plot summaries, discussion of the themes in the story, connections to the arts more generally and lesson plans.

In the Classroom:
This site does a good job at integrating the literary aspects of Romeo and Juliet with the historical context in which the play is set. Because this is a site affiliated with the Kennedy Center, there is an emphasis on integrating the study of Romeo and Juliet with a larger focus on the arts, including music, ballet and the visual arts.

Zoom into Maps Grade 5 to 12 - Library of Congress- 5699

Browse through this extensive collection of maps from 1500 AD to modern times and discover some incredible gems to supplement everything from a history lesson to a study of Shakespeare's plays. Start with the site's downloadable graphic organizer that guides students through map analysis. A series of questions and tips for interpretation accompany each type of map and help with understanding of orientation, legend, and scale.

In the Classroom:
Use this site for a geography course, or in a world history course when discussing the importance of cartography and its many varieties. Use this site as an anticipatory set or “activator” to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector. Work through the examples as a class, highlighting the images and what can be observed in each. This is a great way to show students concrete examples of how maps are and can be used.

Paper Toys Grade 3 to 12 - - 5020

Build a Frank Lloyd Wright house, a T-Rex, or Shakespeare’s Globe Theater using the patterns provided on this site. This is not origami, but a creative collection of instructions and guides for making all types of amazing object and structures out of paper. Schematic models can be downloaded and printed.

In the Classroom:
Some are more complex than others, so choose wisely according to the ability levels of your students and the curriculum content of your classroom.

Uniting the Kingdoms Grade 9 to 12 - British National Archives- 4009

This site from Britain’s National Archives documents the political evolution of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and France from about 1066 through the death of Elizabeth I. While most of this content is absent from American curricula, this site does an elegant job of summarizing the people and events that ultimately resulted in the emergence of the United Kingdom.

In the Classroom:
American teachers will find background here for the study of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Those elsewhere may be able to put the material to more direct use.

Full-Bodied Romeo Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3578

A lesson which lets students use body movements to help understand Romeo's character. Released by the Folger Library in spring, 1999.

Here's Much to do... Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3577

A lesson from the Folger Library collection.

Romeo & Juliet - Time Stands Still Grade 9 to 12 - Yale University- 3576

Here's another unit built around Romeo & Juliet, this one from the Yale New Haven Teachers Institute. The eight-week unit is designed specifically for low-ability learners, though it can be adapted for other ability levels.

Jottings from Juliet Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3574

A Folger Library lesson that asks students to create a diary for a character from the play. This lesson works well with any of the plays.

A Walking Tour of Juliet's Verona Grade 9 to 12 - - 3573

Brief narrative and pictures of the city.

Romeo & Juliet - Study Questions Grade 9 to 12 - - 3572

from sparknotes

Sparknotes - Macbeth Grade 9 to 12 - - 3570

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

What's up with the Crime Scene Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3569

A lesson from the Folger Library's collection.

Double Double, Toil and Trouble Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3568

A lesson from the Folger Library, released in spring, 1999.

Macbeth's Birnam Wood Grade 9 to 12 - - 3566

An artist's rendition; from the Tate Gallery, London.

Sparknotes - Hamlet Grade 9 to 12 - - 3562

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

Enter Ophelia Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3555

Another lesson from the Folger Library collection.

Hamlet Hook Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3554

A lesson from the Folger Library that works well with low-ability students.

Hamlet - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - - 3547

Full text - from the University of Edmonton, Canada.

The Boke of Gode Cookery Grade 9 to 12 - - 3545

Elizabethan food, banquets, and feasts Grade 9 to 12 - - 3544

Wardrobe in Time Grade 9 to 12 - - 3543

Recipe for an apple and orange tart Grade 9 to 12 - Carnegie Mellon Univ.- 3521

Mincemeat Pies Grade 9 to 12 - - 3519

Shepherd's Pie Grade 9 to 12 - - 3518

English Trifle Grade 9 to 12 - - 3517

Yorkshire Pudding Grade 9 to 12 - - 3516

Steak & Kidney Pie Grade 9 to 12 - - 3515

The Globe Theatre Grade 9 to 12 - - 2964

A newly expanded site from the home of the rebuilt Globe Theatre in London. Includes photos, historical information, schedules, and more.

Elizabethan Costuming Page Grade 9 to 12 - - 2960

A collection of patterns, resources, and pictures showing who wore what and how.

Sparknotes - Twelfth Night Grade 9 to 12 - - 2958

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

Sparknotes - The Tempest Grade 9 to 12 - - 2956

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

The Tempest in the Lunchroom Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2950

A lesson plan from the Folger Library Collection

Sparknotes - Taming of the Shrew Grade 9 to 12 - - 2916

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

Sparknotes - Othello Grade 9 to 12 - - 2914

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

MTV Othello Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2913

A contemporary look from the Folger lesson plan collection.

Investigating Othello Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2911

A Folger lesson that helps students peel away the layers of meaning in the play.

Fear and Loathing in Othello Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2910

A lesson from the Folger Library collection.

Sparknotes - Much Ado About Nothing Grade 9 to 12 - - 2909

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

Hero vs. Claudio Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2908

A lesson from the collection at the Folger Library.

Sparknotes - Midsummer Night's Dream Grade 9 to 12 - - 2906

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

A Guide to A Midsummer Night's Dream Grade 9 to 12 - - 2901

from Amy Ulen's Surfing with the Bard. Text, teaching ideas, and study materials.

Sparknotes - Merchant of Venice Grade 9 to 12 - - 2898

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

Sparknotes - King Lear Grade 9 to 12 - - 2896

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

The Worlds Asleep Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2895

A lesson on Lear from the Folger Library's collection.

Julius Caesar - Sparknotes Grade 9 to 12 - - 2891

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

Julius Caesar - Study questions Grade 9 to 12 - - 2890

Study questions from Penguin Putnam Publishing

Sparknotes Grade 9 to 12 - - 2888

Literature summaries and resources created by enterprising Harvard alumni.

We Happy Few Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2886

A lesson from the Folger Library examining the St. Crispin's Day speech as political rhetoric.

Divinity of Hell - Soliloquies, Cutting, and Computers Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 2880

Students use a word processor to study a soliloquy.

Medieval and Renaissance Instruments Grade 6 to 12 - - 1242

This is an absolutely fantastic site designed to provide exposure to the incredible variety of musical instruments played during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Students and teachers can explore the unique appearance, structure, and sound of these instruments. Just click on an instrument’s name to view it, read about it, and listen to a brief sound clip. Created by ensemble members of Musica Antiqua and Iowa State University, this site would nicely supplement an elementary or middle school unit on the Renaissance, serve as a resource for a music history lesson, or add greatly to a literary unit on Shakespeare’s England that would include exposure to the music and instruments used in the Elizabethan theater.

In the Classroom:
Use this site as an activator or introduction on a unit about Shakespearean England. The information on the instruments offers more insight on the life and times being studied. Select some of the more interesting instruments and add their pictures and audio into your lecture to spice things up!

Life in Elizabethan England Grade 9 to 12 - - 5782

This searchable living history of Elizabethan England provides fascinating information about 16th century games, food, money, religion, fashion, and education. These individual glimpses combine to create a meaningful, non-political tapestry of life as lived 500 years ago. Add to a unit on Shakespeare or European history.

In the Classroom:
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of Elizabethan England. The site provides an array of knowledge about the life of the average citizen in that world, which could be used perfectly to recreate that life in your classroom! Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have them design a themed party that will sport games, food and fashion from Elizabethan times - all of the information can be found on the site!

Tramline Virtual Field Trips Grade 1 to 12 - Tramline- 10373

This website is dedicated to delivering a variety of virtual field trips. The trips are listed by content. Each trip contains objectives, concepts, and terms to know. There are lesson plans linked in the Teacher Resource section of the page, and extra information on the topic. The trips themselves are a lot like guided web quests. The websites that are used in the field trips show good variety. And standards are even provided! The trips include grade levels. Examples of topics include hurricanes, dinosaurs, deserts, natural wonders, dark ages, and American Presidency.

In the Classroom:
Virtual field trips from this website could be used on the interactive whiteboard or projector as a whole class activity. A better use could be to create a question sheet that mirrors the trip and have students work through the field trip at their own pace in lab, either with partners or individually. Follow up by challenging student groups to create an interactive guidebook to their topic using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. With younger students, make a class book together.

Shmoop Poetry (beta) Grade 6 to 12 - Shmoop University Inc.- 9967

As a companion piece to the Shmoop literature site, this is a wonderful addition if you teach poetry. Shmoop provides students (and teachers) with so much more than summaries. This is a great site with a unique voice. It is written by Ph.D. and Masters students at top universities (such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc.). While the list of poems is currently growing (this is a beta site), it includes many of the poems and/or poets commonly studied in high school including some of Shakespeare's sonnets, Whitman, Coleridge, Shelley, Dickinson, Browning, Rich, Yeats, and others. Especially appealing are the "Intro" sections, which tell the background of the poem. This should interest students as it places a very human "face" on the poem and sets it in context for them. Besides summaries, techniques, quotes, and study questions, this site also gives a "did you know?" page that includes random trivia about the poet, poem, or topic, as well as a "sex rating" ("Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is rated "G"). This in itself will amuse students-- and amused students are likely to stay focused!

While actually signing up (which is free) gives you the ability to "clip" files and keep them in a folder, you can access the majority of the information without signing up. Registration does require an email address. Rather than using personal email accounts consider creating a teacher Gmail account and set up subaccounts for up to 20 students to register (by code name or number). Here is a blog post that tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service.

Be aware this site is still in beta. The content is frequently updated, so be sure to check back! Some of the activities at the site require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
There are many possibilities at this website. Use it for reference, share the highlights on your interactive whiteboard, or talk about the constructive use of a site like this without plagiarizing. One activity after reviewing a poem through Shmoop’s process might be to have students use a poem not included on Shmoop and make their own entry for it, following the Shmoop template as an example. Why not make your own wiki to include some of the same features for other poems? Note: one popular poem on Shmoop is Poe’s “The Raven.” Be sure to have students explore TeachersFirst’s interactive Raven as yet another rich way to experience the poem along with Shmoop.

HashThat! Can You Keep That a Secret? Grade 6 to 12 - ThinkQuest - David, Erika, Jason, Laura, Namrita, Rajesh- 9738

Available in both Spanish and English, this cryptology site has great information and interesting, applicable activities. This site walks students through the foundations and fundamentals of cryptology, how is has been used in the past, its applications today, how students themselves can use it, and some great interactive games.

This site is a ThinkQuest entry from 2007. ThinkQuest sites are created by students or student education candidates. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

In the Classroom:
There are lots of uses for this site, although it doesn't fit comfortably in any one subject area. The concept of language as symbols is valuable for any English, history, or humanities lesson, but the real attraction to this site is student interest in this topic. Even those studying wars in history can use this extension as part of discussion or codes' role in the military. Students can create their own ciphers after researching some that have been used in the past. Students could encrypt actual quotes from Shakespeare or another author and have each other "decode" them. Use cryptology as a way to teach scientific method and hypothesis-testing, as well. This site is ideal for gifted students learning about mysteries, cryptology, or forensics.

Showing Evidence: Analyzing and Evaluating Information Grade 3 to 12 - Intel Education- 9228

Give your students the skills to analyze and evaluate information with Intel’s free “Showing Evidence tool.” “Showing Evidence” provides a visual framework to help students learn how to construct well-reasoned arguments and prove their case with credible evidence. Students are prompted to consider the quality of the evidence and the strength of the evidence to support their claim. When an argument is complicated, the components of the tool help students think through justifying a claim.

This web-based tool is accompanied by detailed lesson plans designed for elementary, middle, and high school students. A variety of subject areas and projects are ready to adapt for the classroom or implement as-is. Explore the project ideas, instructional strategies, assessment tips, and research to help you plan a project of your own. Registration is free and creates a teacher workspace in which to build the class project. The password-protected workspace is accessed through the internet where students log on with the teacher-created ID, team ID, and password. Students can access the project workspace from home or though other Internet access points such as the public library.

Be sure to disable your popup blocker, as the site needs to show popup windows during the project. This site requires Flash and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Get these tools from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
Teachers can use the comprehensive tutorial to learn the features of the tool and use the workspace to practice with the tool. Take advantage of the detailed unit plans that provide usable handouts and student work samples. Or just browse through several shorter project descriptions for project ideas that suit your classroom.

Make a shortcut to this site on your desktop and student computer desktops for easy access. Use the “Showing Evidence “tool to explore themes such as why do we explore, what happens next, is everything we read true, and what is freedom? Have student teams stage debates using their visual diagrams to show their thinking processes to the class using an interactive whiteboard or projector.

TeenInk Online Magazine Grade 5 to 12 - The 21st Century and the Young Authors Foundation- 9094

This print magazine for teens also has a free,online version. While not all the content from the print magazine is found online, you will find a wealth of cool teen stuff there. Written solely by teens, the site includes edgy stories, poetry, opinion pieces, photography, extensive author and celebrity interviews, and call-outs for stories and contests. You need not “join” or “subscribe (at a cost) to read and use the site.

In the Classroom:
English teachers, create your own TeenInk publication in your classroom. Work with your school's technology teacher to have students set up an online publication like the one at this site—perhaps on a wiki. Don’t dare call it a literary magazine these days. Use TeenInk as a prototype of an edgy, creative outlet for your students. Put Shakespeare on the shelf for a few weeks and consider using the TeenInk site’s content to show story elements and literary devices. If school policies prohibit publishing content online, make the wiki private and share the password with invited guests. Learn more about wikis at the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through.

Welcome to the Universe: Mythology Grade 4 to 12 - Windows to the Universe team- 9056

This site is part of a larger science-oriented site and focuses on the stories of mythology from Greek, Roman, and other major world cultures, and their importance to our world both culturally and scientifically. Mythology is an important aspect of literature and the humanities. Too often students know little about it, thus losing many of the important allusions that writers from Shakespeare to Hemingway use frequently.

Broken into three sections: beginner, intermediate, and advanced, the site offers a variety of approaches to teaching the mythologies of the world. The maps and family trees are especially nice. Switching from beginner to intermediate to advanced changes the level of depth and sophistication as the expectation for more vocabulary and understanding rises. The map showing different mythologies through continents is nice to show students the parallels between the stories of different cultures and places. The site also includes a "Mythology Hangman," always a challenge for any level of student, and mythology links to other sources on the web.

In the Classroom:
Depending on what level you teach, your possibilities here are endless. For upper levels, assigning individuals or small groups to different mythologies and then having them "teach the class" that mythology is an attractive prospect. Showing the synthesis among the different cultures emphasizes Jung's theory of the collective unconscious and human archetypes. For younger students, drawing the stories of the different mythologies or writing conversations between Apollo and Freyr (for example) creates some fun while learning stories that influence our western culture. There is a teacher section you can access if you register (registration is free).

The Renaissance Connection Grade 6 to 10 - Allentown Art Museum- 8571

This is a great website for student interaction! It does require Flash to get the full effect and animation (Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.). With a click of a mouse you can be transported 500 years back in time, complete with digital images, interactive activities, maps, timelines, and more. The music that matches each section also adds to the authenticity in taking students to this time.While this site was originally for middle school students, it would work very well with 9-10th graders simply because it will hold their attention. The site includes lesson plans and ideas for language arts, art, science, social studies, and math, as well as a general introduction lesson.

In the Classroom:
Even if you only have one day to spend, you can use this site to focus on inventions or provide background before you read Shakespeare or look at Renaissance art. Start by sharing the interactive timeline of six themes of the Renaissance (Start from Art Explorer) as an introduction on a projector or whiteboard, then send student groups to different areas of the site to become "experts" on different facets of the Renaissance. The varied activities provide easy ways to differentiate or address multiple intelligences. Be sure to plan a culminating day when students share their new expertise in the form of presentations, products, or plays.

Guide to British Life, Culture and Customs Grade 3 to 8 - Woodlands Junior School- 8317

This website provides a one-stop adventure for anyone wishing to learn more about Great Britain. There are over 1500 pages of information and activities - all "kid-friendly", entertaining and educational. You will find information about British culture, history, flags, education, daily life, climate and weather, government, the royal family and more. There are also links available to classroom activities to use while teaching students about Great Britain. These activities include WebQuests, "Winnie the Pooh" adventures, comparisons of Great Britain to various states in the USA and other countries throughout the world, worksheets, interactive activities and other learning adventures. A true inspiration for your students is the fact that much of the content was created by students aged 7-11. Some of the activities require FLASH, get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom:
So many famous people and inventions are from Great Britain - J.K. Rowling, Shakespeare, the hovercraft vehicle, Darwin, Newton and countless others. If your class is learning about these famous people or inventions, use this website to further enhance their understanding of the people, inventions and culture of Great Britain.

As you study about what unites cultures into communities and countries, ask your class what they would include if they made a similar site about the city, state, or country where you teach. Use a wiki to start just such a site, including digital pictures. You can always start out simple and make a guide to your school itself -- including playground etiquette and favorite foods.

Protopage Grade K to 12 - Protopage- 8257

TeachersFirst Edge Entry: For very comfortable technology users who need more sophisticated capabilities than your TeachersFirst home page. This online tool creates a highly visual "home page" that can incorporate multiple elements simply by dragging and dropping them in place. Not unlike Google's personalized homepage, the elements look like little sticky notes or boxes, but there is far greater flexibility and a wider variety of content readily available. You can also make the page local (simply use it as the "home" on your classroom computer), shared by a select group (passworded), or completely public. You can easily make a theme or unit page for quick access of resources, complete with directions.

In the Classroom:
How would you use this in your teaching? Create a set of RSS feeds for current events or a specific curriculum topic such as weather and make them available for an in-class activity, complete with directions. World language, world cultures, or geography teachers can profile a location on the globe, complete with local weather and news. Make separate tabs for separate activities. Students can access them by password or publicly from outside of class, as well. For primary grades, make simple instructions right on the desktop for a computer center activity. Use color coding of the instructions to differentiate for different children (Sam, I want you to do the yellow one). If your school permits students to set up accounts on web services, have groups make Protopages on an assigned topic, collecting and organizing resources, images, and information: "A Protopage Guide to Cells" or "Shakespeare's Times." Gifted and highly-able students will go crazy!

Skills needed: Join (free). Check out the Intro, Overview, and Quickstart to see how it works. Play to your heart's content, including making tabs. Learn about RSS feeds and other Widgets-- including sticky notes. Share the URL with those you wish to have use it. Note: this works on Internet Explorer 6 and higher and on Firefox. If your users are on older web browsers, the developers recommend upgrading. This may be a problem for some. Check with your end-user computers before you spend too much time making the perfect Protopage!

If you allow students to create their own Protopage, you will need to have very specific rules about content, since there are non-educational elements available.

Photojournalism Tiered Lesson Plan Grade 10 to 12 - Leigha Tracey- 8108

This website presents a lesson in which students explore how photographs can be interpreted as conveying rich stories to the beholder. The lesson presumes that the students are familiar with journalism and photocomposition and is set up according to Bloom's Taxonomy. While one lesson is presented, its advantage is the structure it gives to the teacher who has ideas on how to teach students to incorporate photos into their work. For ideal lesson purposes, it also presents the logical Bloom's progression which is particularly helpful to new teachers.

In the Classroom:
To take full advantage of this lesson, expand it into choosing photos off the web from news stories or from Flickr. (See the TeachersFirst Edge explanation of Flickr). You might even preview some sites and have pairs of students access them and categorize them by analysis. This would enable you to tailor the lesson to any literature you were working with from: Shakespeare to Hemingway to Grisham.

podOmatic Grade 1 to 12 - podOmatic- 8094

TeachersFirst Edge Entry: for moderately adventurous technology users. Create simple audio podcasts using this online tool and the free space they provide. Simply put, this tool lets you create and place sound recordings online for people to listen to and/or download from a web site. There are MANY free podcasts in a variety of subject areas (art, health, technology, music, business, and more). The site itself is a "web 2.0," social networking style site, so some schools may have it blocked. Ask about unblocking just YOUR teacher account so you can have students access it while at school and under your supervision.

What can it do? You can record sound directly with the microphone built or plugged into your computer and make it available for people to listen to online or download to their MP3 player. See and hear a sample we made for you.

In the Classroom:
Skills needed: Join the site (free); Membership requires email. Then attach a mike or use your built-in computer mike; create the podcast by clicking a record button,(you may have to tell your computer to "allow" nonsecure items over and over). Choose a background for your podcast page. Share it with others using one of several sharing options on the "My Podcast" tab, including copying the link to paste in an email or newsletter or embedding the podcast in your class web page or wiki.

Safety/Security: Podomatic does not allow memberships for those under 13. Teachers using this tool with younger students should do so under supervision and with a teacher-controlled account. The site is a "general public" site, so the home page has links to recent podcasts that may not be appropriate for the classroom. Discuss this possibility and tell students NOT to click on other's work or simply avoid sending students into the site on their own. Be sure you have parent permission and check school policies before allowing students to post work online. Carefully select or SKIP many sharing mechanisms for safety's sake. Limit any identifiable information within the podcasts. You may want to share the links to class podcasts only with your students and parents. If you have students record podcasts as assignments, you may need multiple accounts because the free accounts have limited file space. An elementary teacher might have enough space for 25 students to keep a limited number of products on his/her own account, depending upon length. The site will tell you how much space each podcast takes and how much you have left. Check your school policies about accessing/sharing student email on school computers. You may want to create your own Gmail account with up to 20 subaccounts for each group of students (by code name or number) within your classes. Here is a blog post that tells how to create these subaccounts for use in joining any web-tool site.

Possible uses: You could record your homework assignments or directions; you can record story time or a reading excerpt for younger ones to listen to at a computer center AND from home! Have better readers record selected passages for your non-readers (perhaps older buddies). Launch a service project for your fifth or sixth graders to record stories for the kindergarten to use in their reading and listening center. Have students create "you are there" recordings as "eyewitnesses" to historical or current events; make a weekly class podcast, with students taking turns writing and sharing the "Class News;" have students create radio advertisements for concepts studied in class (Buy Dynamic DNA!); have students write and record their own stories or poetry in dramatic readings; language students or beginning readers could record their fluency by reading passages; allow parents to hear their child's progress reading aloud, etc. Compare world language, speech articulation, or reading fluency at two points during the year. Have your Shakespeare students record a soliloquy! Write and record a poem for Father's or Mother's Day (or other special events) and send the URL as a gift to that special person.

Examining Tone in Parody and Tragedy Grade 9 to 12 - Jim Carpenter, Ph. D.- 7739

Tone is a difficult concept for students to grasp. Using Romeo and Juliet's Act IV, scene v, students can look at it as either tragedy or parody depending on how the director and actors present the scene. Using drama to demonstrate tone makes it a little easier for students to understand.

In the Classroom:
Since most students read Romeo and Juliet, this is a wonderful scene to use. They already perceive this scene as tragedy; presenting it as parody generally delights and amuses them, making it easier to see the tone. Using performance to show irony, repetition, and diction also helps cement those concepts. 3 45-minute lessons useable or adaptable.

Online Etymology Dictionary Grade 6 to 12 - Douglas Harper- 7193

as the author explains, "Etymologies are not definitions; they're explanations of what our words meant 600 or 2,000 years ago." Use this quick online reference to locate the point in time when a word entered into usage the way we know it-- or to find out what it used to mean, such as in Shakespeare. Use the richness of these historical meanings to understand literature or to illustrate the living nature of language.

In the Classroom:
Mark this one in the Favorites on classroom computers or in links on your English teacher web page. Feature a word a week on a projector before you start your lesson to help students think about the evolution of language.

Drama Teachers Exercise Grade 6 to 12 - online bulletin board- 7089

What makes this a good site is the variety of ideas presented. The site has ideas contributed by many. All of the exercises given are tried-and-true teacher ideas. These exercises have worked effectively with students, not only to teach acting, but also to focus them on other lessons. I particularly like the one on Shakespeare.

In the Classroom:
While this is a plain site with lesson ideas, it is full of possibilities for lessons in any subject; it is particularly easy to adapt to literature and social studies lessons. It incorporates creative dramatics and improvisation with analysis of text or events. Insert your own unit into it and it can create enthusiasm for an otherwise dull topic or text.

Multiple Choice Quizzes Grade 8 to 12 - SchoolHistory- 6361

Scan through this collection to find the interactive quiz that will best support your curriculum unit. Topics include Shakespeare, the Industrial Revolution, the Cold War, the USA in the 1920s, and much more. Each quiz is self-correcting. Use as a review or as a pre-test to assess student knowledge.

In the Classroom:
Use this site to review students on important scanning many units of history. Save this site as a learning center or station, and allow students to use it in the days proceeding an assessment. Teachers can also print out some of the quizzes and use them to assess students background knowledge when entering a new unit.

Star-Crossed lovers Online Grade 9 to 12 - International Reading Association- 6062

This lesson plan puts a modern spin on the timeless story of Romeo and Juliet. Students are asked to create original, modern interpretations of specific events described in the play and apply their knowledge of current technologies to each character. Would Romeo have used an iPod? How would blogging have affected the relationship between the Montagues and Capulets? This is a thought-provoking activity that challenges students to analyze literary elements while considering the effect of technology on behaviors and outcomes. Aligned to National Standards.

Google Earth Grade 3 to 12 - Google- 6053

While it requires an internet network connection and installation of the software, Google Earth is one of the slickest geography teaching tools to come along in many years. Want to see Washington and L. A.? No problem. Want to navigate from London to Liberia? Just click. This site's ability to combine satellite imagery and map data gives it huge possibiliites as a teaching tool.

In the Classroom:
Teachers can store "placemarkers," then project the site in the classroom, "flying" from point to point during a lesson. If you teach geography, this one's well worth the time required to master it. Requires a free download, but it's great fun. It is also a great option to give context to literary and current events locations so they become "real." It is worthwhile to explore some of the bulletin boards for users who have already stored placemarkers you might use, such as the locations of all the Shakespeare plays!

Book-a-Minute Classics Grade 9 to 12 - Samuel Stoddard and David J. Parker- 5196

OK - this one's just for fun. These tongue-in-cheek synopses of literary pearls are hilarious and BRIEF! Few authors escape the treatment; nearly every writer from Shakespeare to Steinbeck is represented on these pages. Some synopses are better than others - check out their version of A Tale of Two Cities - but all are quite clever! Use to generate some lively pre or post-reading discussion in class, or kick off a lesson on satire with several choice examples. Links to synopses of science fiction, bedtime stories, and movies are provided at the bottom of the home page.

Lesson: Like, Wow! Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3553

A lesson about the opening scenes in Hamlet, released by the Folger Library, spring, 1999.

Lesson: Spirit Stalks Elsinore Grade 9 to 12 - Folger Library- 3552

A lesson from the Fogler Library, released in spring, 1999

Hamlet - A Teacher's Guide Grade 9 to 12 - SCORE- 3549

A Teacher's Guide - from the California Online Resources for Education.

NOTE: SCORE Cyberguides announced that they are no longer checking links and maintaining these excellent resources as of April 2008 due to lack of funding. You will want to verify all links before using the cyberguide in class. You may want to use portions of this cyberguide in combination with other online resources.

Medieval & Renaissance Food Page Grade 9 to 12 - - 3542

This site has a wealth if information about everything a person in medieval/renaissance Europe would have enjoyed for a meal, including recipes. The site not only has a trough of recipes, but also has articles and resources detailing the significance of certain foods, how they were prepared, and who would have ate them. A very interesting site for exploring one aspect of the Renaissance and Medieval Europe.

In the Classroom:
This site would be fun for teachers with enough resources and students who were able to take a day and prepare some of these foods for a classroom activity during a unit on the Renaissance or Medieval Europe. Teachers can either prepare a recipe themselves, or perhaps have students make some as a voluntary assignment, or for extra credit!

A Compendium of Common Knowledge Grade 9 to 12 - - 2959

Here's a site with more information than you'll ever need on the details and intricacies of Elizabethan life. Some of the content is scholarly; other elements are less so. Highly useful nonetheless.

Tempest Treasure Hunt - Act V Grade 9 to 12 - SCORE- 2955

Student Activities - from the California Online Resources for Education.

NOTE: SCORE Cyberguides announced that they are no longer checking links and maintaining these excellent resources as of April 2008 due to lack of funding. You will want to verify all links before using the cyberguide in class. You may want to use portions of this cyberguide in combination with other online resources.

Tempest Treasure Hunt - Act IV Grade 9 to 12 - SCORE- 2954

Tempest Treasure Hunt - Act III Grade 9 to 12 - SCORE- 2953

Tempest Treasure Hunt - Act II Grade 9 to 12 - SCORE- 2952

Tempest Treasure Hunt - Act I Grade 9 to 12 - SCORE- 2951

The Movie - A Midsummer Night's Dream Grade 9 to 12 - - 2904

Web site for the 1999 release of the film with Calista Flockhart in the cast. Worth a look if only for the beautiful visual effects. There is also an elegant study guide available in Adobe Acrobat format.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Grade 9 to 12 - - 2900

The word-for-word text of the folio edition, courtesy of the University of Victoria, Canada.

In the Classroom:
Post this site on your teacher web page for students to use as review both in and out of the classroom. The site provides a copy of the play and alternative links for summary and analysis of the play. Students needing assistance analyzing the play will love having this site on hand.

A Midsummer Night's Dream Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2899

The complete text, from the archive at M.I.T.

In the Classroom:
In a class where textbooks may be short this is an excellent site to insure everyone has access to "A Midsummer Nights Dream". This would also be useful for a class reading of the play. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and click on the link that allows you to display the full play on one fluid page. From this point, assign students parts and let them read aloud. Just make sure to keep up with the scrolling as students read!

King Lear - Full text Grade 9 to 12 - Mass. Instit. Technol.- 2892

Full text of King Lear, from the e-texts collection at MIT.

In the Classroom:
In a class where textbooks may be short this is an excellent site to insure everyone has access to King Lear. This would also be useful for a class reading of the play. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector, and click on the link that allows you to display the full play on one fluid page. From this point, assign students parts and let them read aloud. Just make sure to keep up with the scrolling as students read!

The English Server Drama Collection Grade 9 to 12 - Carnegie Mellon University- 1244

This site from Carnegie Mellon University provides an extensive manuscript collection of plays, screenplays, criticisms, and links to other sites related to the theater (i.e., American Drama Institute; Shaw Festival). Classic and contemporary works are represented, and aspiring playwrights may submit their work for review by the editors for possible publication. Works by Ibsen, Shakespeare, Moliere, and Gay are among the many classics represented.

In the Classroom:
This site would be a useful resource for high school level students and teachers involved in an AP Drama/Theater course.

MyVocabulary.Com Grade 4 to 12 - Myvocabulary.com- 870

Are you looking for some new tricks and tools to entice your students to learn and practice root words, vocabulary, and spelling? The main links at this site include Root Word Lesson Plans, Thematic Puzzles, Word Lists, Test Prep/Assessment, and Daily Root Puzzles.

The Root Word Lesson Plans offer three difficulty levels, a prefix study, interactive puzzles focused on Greek and Latin roots. There are fill in the blanks, crosswords, true-false, word finds, and more.

The Word Lists are extensive and include nearly every topic one can imagine: Shakespeare, Legal Terms, Stock Market, ESL, Photography, Dance, Patriotism, Debate, Women in History, Psychology, Mythology, Kwanzaa, and MANY other topics.

The Thematic Puzzles include printable pages, interactive definition match games, and over fifty topics.

If you have students preparing for the SATs or ACTs, don't miss the Test Prep section with over 200 vocabulary words.

In the Classroom:
Search the site for topics that you are teaching or that are timely, such as holidays. Share the puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students research various vocabulary words (provided with each topic). Have students create a multi-media project about their vocabulary words: wiki, blog, or PowerPoint. Be sure to take advantage of the free lesson plan ideas, discussion topics, and printable puzzles. As an ongoing vocabulary project, have student create interactive "word books" using Bookemon (reviewed here).